A common element in South Florida gardens is the pineapple patch. Almost everybody has one, from a northern perspective, it seems kind of weird. Grow your own pineapples? Why not? Even one of our neighbors, his yard could be described as nouveau retch, is seen regularly hand watering his pineapples.
Pineapples are in fact a Bromeliad, which are currently my favorite tropical perennial. Among the many Bromeliads I have planted that are purely ornamental I am afraid I have fallen prey to the trend and now have a pineapple patch between my citrus trees. I eat pineapple just about year round and the tops kept rooting in the compost heap. Unfortunately, the above is my patch, not too pretty.
Pineapples have an interesting history. Originally from the area where modern day Brazil is located, they moved via canoes paddled by traveling natives north to the Caribbean Islands where sea captains picked up on them and carried them home. One early accounting of the discovery of pineapple recounts a meal served by the Caribe tribe where a plate of pineapple rested next to a cauldron of boiling cannibalized humans. I think I would have asked for the fruit plate.
A status symbol on the dining tables of colonial America, pineapples were often rented for centerpieces and then sold after a few uses for eating. Thus the pineapple as a symbol of lush hospitality was born. The prevalence of pineapples as a decorative element may be explained by its being cheaper to carve decorative pineapples into bed posts or garden ornaments instead of renting them by the hour.
The Treasure Coast of Florida, the area I currently call home was once home to a large pineapple plantation. In 1895, Jensen Beach, Florida was named the Pineapple Capital of the World, shipping a million boxes of pineapples a year during the summer season. Later that year a devastating freeze decimated the crop, followed by a few tragic fires and fungal diseases that finished off the pineapple industry by 1920. Agricultural pursuits were redirected towards citrus. Wild Pineapple plants can still be seen on Hutchinson Island and are attributed to the original owner of the plantation, John Jensen.
Like many other popular plants, pineapples have also been bred for Ornamental use. Here are two prettier pineapple plants.
The Shrub Queen 
Maybe the pineapple enzymes soften up the cannibal stew.
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Yum! maybe that was the discovery of digestive enzymes??bromelain, I think?
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An interesting post Amy. Just the sort I like. ButI actually loathe pineapple. You can keep your bromelain. If I had to choose between pineapple and human, it would be a hard call as to which was more disgusting. And you find it with everything. With ham? What’ s that about? And people who put pineapple on pizzas deserve to be cast into ‘the furnace of fire where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth’.
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Thank you, Liz, you clearly have pineapple issues. I think the most gruesome thing southerners do with pineapple is put it in a sweet potato casserole (with brown sugar, maple syrup and pecans) then top it with marshmallows and bake it. A very common holiday dish and blech!
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Now you’ ve really made me feel sick.
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Me, too.
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Interesting. How long does it take the pineapple to develop? Once cut, can the plant grow another pineapple? I know you can cut off a top and start it.
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At least two years and I don’t recall when I started them! After you cut the fruit the first time it makes side shoots with smaller pineapples for a long time.
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Probably wouldn’t work here because of colder winters.
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My mother used to grow them in Atlanta and brought them inside during winter. She would get 2-3″ long pineapples that were really cute but not edible. I think 9b is the furthest north these can be grown outside.
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Yes, I think they would need a greenhouse or a very sunny window.
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Nouveau retch? I like it! How nice to reap your own pineapples. Ah, the joys of living in Florida!
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Cynthia, you do realize southerners are a wacky lot? I told an editor the original design concept of my house (when we bought it) was ‘the beach with weeds’ aesthetic. She never stopped laughing but wouldn’t hire me either. Pineapples take two years so the reaping is aways off. I am in the midst of downloading your new book!
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I like your wacky side, Amy. Never stop. Unless maybe when you’re pitching to an editor…. tee hee, that’s funny. And big thanks for buying my book. With so much to choose from, when you buy my book I am greatly honoured.
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it is on my Kindle, it is next! I think I need to meet a wacky editor.
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That’s the ticket, right there!
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